


In the Sunset Meadow with You

by Nebbles



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: M/M, based right off their A support, full of two best friends being absolutely in love with each other, where forde teaches kyle how to paint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebbles/pseuds/Nebbles
Summary: Forde smiles at him again, full of softness and joy, and the words spill out of Kyle’s mouth before his mind can catch up to him.“You’re beautiful, Forde.”





	In the Sunset Meadow with You

When he asks Forde to teach him how to paint, Kyle notes he’s observing more than anything. Perhaps one can say observation is a way of learning, but Kyle knows his gaze follows Forde more than anything. There’s something about the way he looks when he paints, a serene smile that carries no worries, and a softness in his eyes. He’s beautiful, and Kyle wishes he could find the confidence to voice those words. 

He’s left in utter admiration, feeling his heart skip a beat every time Forde pauses to brush some loose hair behind his ear. Now that they aren’t on a battlefield, he can appreciate Forde’s art unlike ever before. He’s seen sketches before, of his parents and Franz - and they’re all amazing. It’s his landscapes, however, leave Kyle speechless. There’s something about how he captures the meadow in front of them, colors dancing upon his canvas in a way Kyle wishes he knew how to describe. 

Forde’s talking about something - color blends and palettes - but Kyle finds himself lost in everything else. Honestly, he tells himself, you were so good at concentrating on the battlefield. What happened to that? He supposes now that their lives aren’t on the line, and there’s no worries about coming home alone, he can finally let himself wonder how soft Forde’s hair is, or if Forde’s drowning in the same feelings. 

“Kyle? Are you paying attention?” Forde finally looks over at him, and notices his eyes are anywhere but the canvas. “I thought you wanted me to teach you how to paint.”

“I did. I’m paying attention,” Kyle coughs, cursing himself for being so obvious, “...I’m just in awe of how well you paint, is all.”

Forde smiles at him, and Kyle swears his heart’s ready to melt and pool into his stomach. “That’s sweet of you to say, but you haven’t touched your own canvas. I thought you were going to follow along.”

Kyle finally tears his eyes away from Forde, a blank canvas staring right back at him. His own supplies sit near him, and he feels more and more silly by the second. At this rate, he wonders if Forde’s going to pick up on his feelings before they’re said. It’d certainly take the pressure off, but Kyle still wants to let the words come out naturally. How, here he is, just a little more than in love with his best friend since childhood. 

“My apologies. I’ll follow along now, I promise.” Kyle reaches for a brush and his own set of paints, looking back at Forde’s canvas. He has no idea where to start on his own, and figures that’s his own fault for not paying attention. Embarrassment rises his in body as he hesitates even longer to begin, and Forde just laughs and laughs.

“Need some help?” Forde shifts closer to him, and Kyle’s heart begins to race. “You should start by establishing a horizon line, since we’re painting the meadow here. Once you have that, you can start mixing your colors and go from there. Maybe you can pay attention this time,” he gives a teasing smile, playfully elbowing him, “just watch what I do.”

Kyle makes a face, but manages to focus more on the canvas than Forde this time, and notes his movements. He makes it look incredibly easy, which is natural to expect. Forde’s been wonderful at art as long as he can recall. Expecting to produce such a masterpiece would take years of experience. At the very least, he’s trying his best to follow his brushstrokes. 

His colors aren’t as clear as Forde’s, nor are his strokes as refined, but the effort’s still there. A semblance of the meadow that’s before them both starts to come into view, and this time, Forde’s eyes are on him.

“This looks nice so far,” he’s leaning in close again, and Kyle isn’t sure if it’s on purpose. “You always were good at learning new things, weren’t you?”

“I was. And I had you to thank for that.” Kyle tries to focus on adding color to the sky - anything to offset the butterflies in his stomach. “I was always able to better myself because of you. Even if it started because I was jealous, you… you made me better. As a knight, and as a person.”

“O-Oh, um, thank you.” Forde feels more than lucky Kyle isn’t looking his way, due to the red creeping on his face. “Looks like we’ve always tried to better each other, haven’t we?”

“We really have. Why do you think I always chose you as my training partner?” Kyle tries to work up the nerve to look at him, yet it’s harder than he expected it to be. “We’ve known each other for ages, Forde. There wasn’t honestly anyone else I wanted to enter Prince Ephraim’s service with.”

“Wow, I’m flattered. I’m not used to hearing such nice words from you.” Forde doesn’t mean to sound rude with such a remark - he just can’t believe Kyle’s saying such soft, sweet words to him. He almost wonders if he’s dozed off amongst the flowers, and daydreaming about Kyle once again. 

“Maybe I should compliment you more often,” Kyle murmurs, streaking blue across his canvas.

In a desperate attempt to keep his cool, Forde covers his nerves up with a laugh, trying to bat down his own butterflies. “You’d have a lot to make up for, considering you nagged my ears off the entire war.”

There’s many answers Kyle wants to reply with, and the one in the forefront of his mind is that he just wanted Forde to come home with him. Yes, he was a soldier, and had duties on the battlefield. Those were important - that focus, that drive… he just didn’t want Forde to lose those, along with his life.

These thoughts try to bubble up to the surface, and Kyle wonders why it’s so hard just to say them. He just wants to look over at Forde, and say that he cares about him more than anything. How desperately he fought to keep them both alive, even if the world around them was beginning to rot. That how even apocalypse wouldn’t tear him from Forde’s side. That even if the worst came to be, he would at least be content with dying by Forde’s side. 

To his surprise, it’s Forde that speaks first. 

“You know, I’ve never thanked you for being someone I can trust without a doubt. There’s things I’ve told you that Franz doesn’t even know,” Forde scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to word this to the best of his ability, “...things about myself. Franz doesn’t know why I started painting.”

“He doesn’t?” Kyle looks at him in shock. “Isn’t that something he should know?”

“I’ll tell him one day. But that’s not what I’m getting at here.” There’s a hint of nervousness in Forde’s voice, “I feel like I can tell you anything, Kyle. You’ve always been there for me.”

When he sees Kyle’s expression, soft fondness in his eyes, Forde finds the confidence to continue.

“When I lost my parents, I thought the pain would honestly never end. I thought it’d consume me, and… I just didn’t know how to support Franz and myself. I was so scared…” Forde wants to reach out and grab Kyle’s hand to hold in his own. “You really made that pain go away, Kyle. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“I don’t where I’d be without you either, Forde.” Kyle’s heart is racing rapidly at this point, and his mind is screaming at him to confess. The moment’s here, he feels, with he and Forde looking at each other the way they are. The warmth of the sun embraces them both, and his breath catches in throat when loose strands of Forde’s hair blow in the wind. He’s awestruck by Forde’s looks once more.

Forde smiles at him again, full of softness and joy, and the words spill out of Kyle’s mouth before his mind can catch up to him.

“You’re beautiful, Forde.”

It doesn’t register at first that he’s spoken aloud, until Forde’s expression turns into one of utter shock, red painted across his cheeks. Kyle can feel himself redden along with him, and figures it’s best to say it now. He’s waited long enough. 

“I’ve liked you for quite a long time, Forde. I never said anything during the war,” Kyle keeps his gaze focused on him, “just because I couldn’t work up the nerve. Even if I thought it was inappropriate during such a time, I really wanted to tell you how I felt. That… well, I went and fell for my best friend.”

Forde wants to spit out a reply - say something so he isn’t just sitting here, dumbfounded - but words are lost on him. It’s almost a dream, what he’s experiencing. Here he is, with Kyle - sitting in a beautiful meadow near sunset, sharing feelings that should’ve been said long ago. In lieu of his loss of words, Forde reaches out to hold Kyle’s hand in his own, and gently intertwines their fingers. 

Kyle gives his hand a gentle squeeze, smiling at him. “When I asked you to teach me how to paint, not only was it because I wanted to learn, I was hoping it’d be the perfect time to tell you. Seems I was right on that, wasn’t I?”

“You really do think of everything, Kyle…” Forde finally finds his voice, “I just never took you for the romantic type.”

“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.” Kyle moves a little closer to Forde, heart still racing. 

“I could say the same of you. A-And, ah… it goes without saying, but it’s clear I like you too,” Forde still wants to say it, at the very least. Relief washes over him, finally being able to say those words back at Kyle. “I can’t picture falling for anyone else, really.”

The gentle smile remains on Kyle’s face as he leans ever closer, and it registers in Forde’s mind to close the gap between them. Kyle’s free hand gently cups Forde’s face as they kiss - it’s a little clumsy and awkward, yet perfect in its own way. His fingers work their way through Forde’s hair, and it’s as soft as he imagined it to be. They part briefly before Forde moves in for another kiss - gentle and warm, as his other hand rests on Kyle’s shoulder.

Once they part, they rest their foreheads against each other’s, Kyle’s hand still playing with Forde’s hair. He leans slightly into the motion, a content smile on his face as his heart continues to soar. A part of Forde believes he’s still dreaming, that it’s unreal that Kyle likes him back, that they shared soft kisses, that their hands are intertwined in such an intimate way. It feels a little more real, however, when Kyle places a gentle kiss on his forehead. 

“Thank you, Kyle.” It’s all Forde can think of to say. “I can’t even tell you how happy you’ve made me.”

“I’m glad. If anyone deserves it, Forde, it’s you.” Kyle can’t emphasize this enough, he thinks. After all the loss Forde experienced, knowing his presence alone helped heal that tear in his heart was all he needed. 

Still smiling, Forde pulls him down so they’re both lying on the grass, wrapped in each other’s arms, basking in each other’s company. It’s the most at peace they’ve ever been, and Forde rests his head on Kyle’s chest, wanting to soak in as much of the moment as possible. “I guess I’ll have to teach you how to paint later, won’t I?”

Kyle laughs, and it’s the best sound Forde’s ever heard. “I suppose so.”


End file.
